Holidays are good time to bond, buy a bunch of stuff
COMMENTARY
Issue date: 12/9/04 Section: Opinion/Editorial
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Bashing consumerism is quite popular during the holidays. Appreciating basic economics isn't.
College students, more than any other segment of the population, should be enthusiastic supporters of consumerism. Many of us pay for our education and our rent through money made in retail jobs. If people didn't buy anything, we'd be in a serious dilemma. Without the holiday shopping extravaganza, many retailers wouldn't make a profit for the year, putting them out of business and putting their employees out of work.
And yet, as the holiday season rolls around and anti-consumerism sentiment makes its way around faster than a row of Christmas lights, college students are at the forefront of the argument. As demonstrated in the article "Snubbing consumerism," in last week's edition of The Journal, no one here at Webster thinks consumerism is OK.
I, for one, love consumerism. Not only does it provide me with a steady income, but also it fills my life with lovely things that give me joy, like books. Without consumerism, there would be far fewer books. And technology. College students love their technology. I'm sure the iPods will be rolling in this holiday season.
You would think college students would be singing consumerism's praises in the hallways. We're probably getting more than we're giving, so everything works out in our favor. Where would a world without consumerism get us? We wouldn't have any time to study, because we'd be knitting our own clothes and growing okra in the backyard.
We wouldn't even be going to college, because it's a kind of consumerism, too. We are all paying for an education. Webster University is not running a charity here. They are looking to make a little dough, too. And, as mentioned earlier, the exchange of ideas is a kind of consumerism. Most professors aren't teaching here for that warm, fuzzy feeling that education gives them.
One of the primary arguments of anti-commercialism crusaders is the wrongly placed emphasis of the holidays. We should all be learning how to appreciate our family and friends without gifts of digital cameras and glassware. We should have hugs and phone conversations, not gift-wrapping and Hallmark cards.
As someone who loves my family, I can certainly appreciate this. But I also love buying my friends things that I know will make them happy. Consumerism doesn't rob the holidays of their true meaning. You either have good relationships or you don't. Buying or not buying a bunch of stuff isn't going to change that.
No matter the anti-consumerism talk, I'll be spending Christmas with my friends, family and hundreds of shoppers at the mall.
Lindsey Pilcher, a senior global journalism major, is the managing editor for The Journal.
